When Windows is installed or when Windows has been installed, there are a number of settings in Windows that you do not use. These settings use your computer's processor and memory without adding anything.
In this article I give you 10 tips to adjust these settings where necessary. Learn how to use Windows better and can make Windows faster. Consider each tip individually and determine if you can use it to disable unnecessary settings in Windows.
These tips can make your computer faster, but it is important to apply this per tip and therefore per setting. You may simply disable or adjust a setting on the computer that you will use later.
10 tips to make Windows better and faster
Disable downloads from other PCs
Windows 10 provides functionality to improve updates. Windows 10 can receive updates from a home computer or corporate network via other computers. However, this causes your computer to also send updates to other computers on your network. You can disable this functionality.
In the Windows search bar in the Windows taskbar type: allow downloads from other PCs. Click on the result.
Set the setting: Allow downloads from other PCs to Off.
Disable start menu ads
Part of the Windows revenue model is advertising applications in the tiles of the Windows start menu. You can of course ignore these advertisements, but you can also disable the advertisements in the Windows start menu.
Click on the Windows start button. In the left menu of the start button, click Settings. In the Settings window, click on Personal Settings.
In the left menu, click Start. In the right menu, switch the option: Show suggestions occasionally in Start, Off.
Disable notifications
Notifications in Windows are useful, but if you allow many applications to display notifications in Windows, it can become too much. In the next tip you can determine per setting whether it is allowed to display notifications or not.
Click on the Windows start button. In the left menu of the start button, click Settings. In the Settings window, click System.
In the left menu, click on Notifications and actions. In the notifications and actions settings on the right you can determine what type of notifications you want to receive.
I recommend that you: Turn off Show tips and suggestions about Windows. And also determine whether you want to display notifications from the Windows Store, settings and banners. This is personal preference.
Disable targeted advertising
Each Windows user account has an advertising ID associated with it. Microsoft uses this advertising ID to serve ads from Windows and a third party. These advertisements are targeted at the Microsoft user account that is linked. Targeted advertisements.
It is recommended that you adjust these ad settings to your preference.
Click on the Windows start button. In the left menu of the start button, click Settings. In the Settings window, click Privacy.
On the left in the menu click on the General Privacy settings.
I recommend you the next option from Enable: Let apps use your advertising ID to make ads more interesting to you based on your app activity (disabling this will reset your ID).
The previous options are your own preference.
Turn off Cortana's “Get to Know You” feature
Cortana is constantly collecting data to get to know you better. This can be useful, but it can also put people off. This includes teaching Cortana how you write and how you talk. You can disable the Get to know you option to prevent Cortana from collecting this information.
Click on the Windows start button. In the left menu of the start button, click Settings. In the Settings window, click Privacy.
In the left menu, click on: Personal settings for handwriting and typing.
In the right window, turn off the option: get to know you. When this feature is disabled, your personal dictionary of typed and handwritten data will be erased. Text suggestions and handwriting recognition using the system dictionary will continue to work.
Disable lock screen
Windows automatically locks when you are not using the computer. The lock screen setting is useful, but it can also get in your way, especially if you are the only user on the computer. Fortunately, you can disable the lock screen in Windows with a little tweak. To disable the lock screen we will use the registry editor in Windows.
Right-click on the Windows start button. Select Run from the menu. In the Run window type: regedit.
The Windows registry editor will now open. In the registry editor, open the following path: HKEY_LOCALMACHINE – Software – Policies – Microsoft – Windows.
Right-click on the Windows folder, select New from the menu and create a new Key. The Key will be named: Personalization.
Once you have created the personalization key, right-click on it. Select New > DWORD (32 bit) Value from the menu.
Name this DWORD value: NoLockScreen. Double-click the NoLockScreen dword value and adjust the value data to 1. To re-enable the lock screen, follow these steps again and adjust the NoLockScreen value to 0 or delete the value.
Disable background applications
Windows 10 has a lot of applications running in the background. If you hardly use certain applications, it is not advisable to let these applications run in the background. These applications use your processor and memory while doing nothing. You can disable background applications using the steps below.
Click on the Windows start button. In the left menu of the start button, click Settings. In the Settings window, click Privacy.
In the left menu, navigate a bit down to: Background apps.
To completely disable background applications. Set the option: Allow apps to run in the background to OFF.
You can further determine per installed application which apps are allowed to receive data, send notifications and stay up to date.
Disable background apps to save power.
Windows performance settings
Visual settings in Windows make Windows a lot more beautiful. However, these visual settings can also be detrimental to the performance of Windows, for example if you have a not so modern computer, an i3 processor with a mediocre video card. You can adjust the visual performance settings in Windows. Windows then disables various effects etc. to increase performance.
In the Windows search bar at the bottom of the start menu, search for: adjust the appearance and performance of Windows. Open the performance settings.
In the performance settings you can choose from 4 pre-selected options. Namely, Auto Select, Best Display, Best Performance and Custom. I recommend choosing Best Performance if you think it will make your Windows computer faster.
When you are done, click Apply.
Disable sync settings
If you have multiple Windows devices linked to the same Microsoft user account, Windows constantly synchronizes applications and user settings. If you do not want this, you can save energy by adjusting this synchronization setting to your preference. In this example I have not paired any other device.
Click on the Windows start button. In the left menu of the start button, click Settings. In the Settings window, click Accounts.
In the left menu, click: Sync your settings.
You can disable syncing of all your settings by turning OFF the: Sync settings option. However, you can also choose to sync certain settings such as themes, passwords, language preferences, accessibility options or other Windows settings individually.
Schedule Windows updates
Windows update is a setting in Windows that you cannot and do not want to disable. It is important to receive updates for Windows 10. However, it is not convenient if you receive and install the updates while you are using the computer yourself. It is better to schedule Windows updates for a later time so that your computer will not be slowed down at that time.
Click on the Windows start button. In the left menu of the start button, click Settings. In the Settings window, click Update & security.
Click on Windows Update in the left menu. In the right menu, click on Change usage times.
Under Current usage times, click the blue link: Change to change Windows usage times. If you have set these times, no Windows update will be downloaded or installed at that time.
I hope that these 10 tips have helped you to customize Windows more to your own taste and, where possible, to make Windows a little faster.
Thank you for reading!
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